Argo wins best film and director prizes at BAFTAs

Argo, Les Miserables, Skyfall and Django Unchained were among the multiple winners at the 2013 EE British Academy Film Awards last night (Feb 10) on an evening that saw BAFTA voters spreading their recognition widely across a range of titles.

It was Ben Affleck’s night, though, with Argo winning in the director, film and editing categories. Accepting the BAFTA mask for best director, Affleck said: “This is a second act for me and you’ve given me that – this industry has given me that.”

Going into the night with nine nominations, Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables won four masks, including supporting actress for Anne Hathaway, production design, make up and hair and sound.

Skyfall won two prizes, for original music and outstanding British film.

Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi won two, for cinematography and special visual effects.

Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained also picked up two, for original screenplay and supporting actor for Christoph Waltz.

Despite leading the pack with 10 nominations, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln only picked up one award, for Daniel Day-Lewis in the actor category.

The actor drew laughs by riffing on his reputation for immersing himself in his characters. “On the chance that I might one day have to speak on an evening such as this I stayed in character as myself for the last 55 years,” Day-Lewis joked from the stage as he accepted his mask. The award was the fourth Bafta for the actor.

Michael Haneke’s Amour triumphed in the foreign language category, with star Emmanuelle Riva winning the actress prize – over 50 years after her previous Bafta nomination, for Hiroshima, Mon Amour in 1961.

Neither Haneke nor Riva were in attendance at the ceremony, held in London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

The majority of winners were in attendance, however, at a starry ceremony which drew large crowds to central London despite wintry sleet and rain in the red carpet.

Silver Linings Playbook star Jennifer Lawrence lost out to Riva in the actress category, with David O Russell winning in the adapted screenplay category.

Despite picking up five nominations, Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty left the ceremony empty-handed. Other overlooked nominees included The Master, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Hitchcock.

Anna Karenina, directed by Joe Wright, won in the costume design category.

The Imposter director Bart Layton and producer Dimitri Doganis won the BAFTA for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer.

Searching For Sugar Man won the documentary category, drawing loud cheers in the Royal Opera House.

Other winners included Pixar’s Brave in the animation category.

Presenting Film4 head Tessa Ross with the BAFTA for outstanding British contribution to cinema, director Danny Boyle called her “a shy genius” and compared her with the Manchester United footballer Paul Scholes.

“She’s a visionary, someone who’s willing to take a chance, take a risk and back a writer, a director or producer when others have maybe turned them away.

“What’s more, time and time again, her uncanny instinct has been proven right and these projects have become huge worldwide successes… I can pay her no greater compliment than to say she really is the Paul Scholes of the British film industry.”

Juno Temple was the recipient of the EE Rising Star Award, while Alan Parker received a BAFTA fellowship.

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